Comprehension Challenge Trash by Andy Mulligan Comprehension Challenge

Comprehension Questions Part 1

Q1. What is stuppa? Stuffing for chairs Human muck Chicken droppings Coffee grounds

Q2. What is the name of the rubbish town? Bentham Bethal Behala Behalio

Q3. What are they looking for? Wallets Metal Clothing Plastic

Q4. If a good tyre can fetch half a dollar, what can a dead tyre be used for? Water storage Holding your roof down Insulation Beds

Q5. On a good day, how much can he make? 200 pesos 150 pesos 100 pesos 50 pesos

Chapter 1 Answers B – Stuppa = Human Muck C – Behala is the name of their rubbish town D – Plastic, white then blue B – Dead tyres used to hold your roof down A – On a good day he can make 200 pesos

Comprehension Questions Chapters 2-3

Q6. What day of the week was his unlucky-lucky day? Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

Q7. How old is Gardo? 10 12 14 16

Q8. What is the name given to a bag that is unsplit from a rich area? A special A jackpot A bounty A treasure chest

Q9. How much money was in the wallet? 500 pesos 600 pesos 1100 pesos 1600 pesos

Q10. Where was the bag put into the rubbish by mistake? McKenzie Hill McKinley Hill McCaffrey Hill McClean Hill

Chapters 2-3 Answers 6. D – Thursday was his unlucky-lucky day 7. C – They are both fourteen years old 8. A – An unsplit bag from a rich area is called a special 9. C – 1100 pesos was inside the wallet 10. B – McKinley Hill was where the police said the bag was dumped

Comprehension Questions Chapters 4-5

Q11. What is Rat’s real name? Jose Alejandro Jo-Jo Jun-Jun

Q12. How many were killed when Smoky fell? Nearly 50 Nearly 100 Nearly 150 Nearly 200

Q13. What is the locker number on the key? 101 202 303 010

Q14. How much did they get paid for the day? 50 pesos 80 pesos 100 pesos 120 pesos

Q15. What mistake did Auntie make? She followed the boys to Rat’s hole She looked through Raphael’s room She talked to the police She handed in the money

Chapter 4-5 Answers 11. D – Rat’s real name is Jun-Jun 12. B – Nearly 100 were killed when the rubbish mountain Smoky fell 13. A – Locker number 101 C – They were paid 100 pesos for the day C – She talked to the police

Comprehension Questions Chapter 6

Q16. What train did the boys wait for? The four o’clock The five o’clock The six o’clock The seven o’clock

Q17. Where does the train go? Diamond Harbour Diarmuid Harbour Darling Harbour Darlington Harbour

Q18. How much prize money are they now offering? 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000

Q19. How much time does the money buy them from the station boys? Five minutes Ten minutes Fifteen minutes 20 minutes

Q20. What was the package in the locker? An old brown paper bag tied with rubber bands A satchel with the initials J.A. An old tattered briefcase A brown envelope sealed with tape

Chapter 6 Answers 16. C – the six o’clock train 17. A – Diamond Harbour 18. B – 20,000 19. A – it buys them 5 minutes worth of time 20. D – the package was a brown envelope sealed with tape

Comprehension Questions Part 2 Chapters 1-2

Q21. What is the name of the school Father Julliard runs? St Augustus Mission School St Angelico Mission School Pascal Aguila Mission School Pasquale Aquila Mission School

Q22. How old is Father Julliard? 63 65 70 73

Q23. How old is Sister Olivia? 20 22 24 26

Q24. How many years had Gabriel Olondriz been in prison? 20 21 22 23

Q25. What room at the end of the corridor was he taken into? #2 #4 #6 #8

Part 2 Chapters 1-2 Answers 21. C – Pascal Aguila Mission School 22. A – Father Julliard is 63 23. B – Sister Olivia is 22 24. D – Gabriel Olondriz was serving his 23rd year in prison 25. C – he was taken to room #6

Comprehension Questions Part 2 Chapters 3-4 Answers

Q26. What was the landmark he saw? A famous church Statue of a soldier The tallest building A large fountain

Q27. What had Jose been arrested for? Robbery Fraud Murder Assault

Q28. What is the name of the prison? Colditz Colgate Colva Celiz

Q29. How old was Jose’s daughter? 14 12 10 8

Q30. What is the name of the vice president? Senator Zapanta Senator Zacusa Senator Alondroz Senator Alusia

Part 2 Chapters 3-4 Answers 26. B – The landmark was a statue of a soldier 27. A – Jose had been arrested for robbery 28. C – Colva Prison 29. D – Pia is 8 30. A – Senator Zapanta

Comprehension Questions Part 3 Chapters 1-3

Q31. Where does Sister Olivia’s father work? Oxford University Parliament The Department of Health The Foreign Office

Q32. What did the boys tell Sister that Gardo’s grandfather was in prison for? Robbing tourists Beating up someone Murdering someone Not paying taxes

Q33. Why do the relatives live beside the prison? To visit as there is no public transport To earn money as they work for the officers To get food into the prisoners so they don’t starve To avoid the shame of having a family member in prison

Q34. How much did Sister Olivia have to pay Mr Oliva? 10,000 11,000 12,000 13,000

Q35. How long did it take to make the pass for Sister? 10 Minutes Half an hour An hour Two hours

Part 3 Chapters 1-3 Answers 31. D – Sister Olivia’s father works for the Foreign Office 32. B – They said he was accused of beating up someone 33. C – they live there to get food into the prisoners so they don’t starve 34. A – she had to pay Mr Oliva 10,000 35. B – half an hour to make the pass

Comprehension Questions Part 3 Chapters 4-6

Q36. What did Sister see that made her stop? A dead child in a cell A mother with a baby in a cell A young child with a younger child in his lap in a cell An old man using the toilet in a cell

Q37. What colour were Gabriel’s eyes? White Blue Green Brown

Q38. What is the normal going rate to see Gabriel? 100 1000 1500 10,000

Q39. How much money had Senator Zapanta spirited away? 5 million 10 million 20 million 30 million

Q40. Why does Gardo write Chapter 6? To tell us what he said to Gabriel in his own language To say sorry to Sister Olivia for lying To explain what had been in the letter To tell us what they planned to do next

Part 3 Chapters 4-6 Answers 36. C – She stopped because she saw a young child with a younger child in his lap in a cell 37. A – White burning eyes 38. C – the going rate is 1500 39. D – 30 million dollars of aid money 40. B – He wrote chapter six to apologise to Sister Olivia

Comprehension Questions Part 3 Chapters 7-8

Q41. What is the first question Gardo asks Gabriel? What is the harvest? What does ‘it has been accomplished’ mean? Where is the money hidden? Who is Dante Jerome?

Q42. How could Gabriel tell Gardo was a street boy? The dirt on his ankles above his new shoes The accent he spoke with The smell of the street The tattoo on his wrist

Q43. Where is Senator Zapanta’s house? Green Hills Green Meadows Hill Place Palazo Square

Q44. How much money did Rat have hidden? 4,346 pesos 3,524 pesos 2,326 pesos 1,672 pesos

Q45. Where is Rat from? San Pedro Sampalo San Francisco Brazil

Part 3 Chapters 7-8 Answers 41. D – he first asks who Dante Jerome is 42. C – He could still smell the street 43. A – Senator Zapanta lives at Green Hills 44. C – 2,326 pesos 45. B – Rat is from Sampalo

Comprehension Questions Part 3 Chapters 9-10

Q46. What colour bus did the boys take? Yellow Red Blue White

Q47. What did Rat do when he got off the bus that made people think he was mad? He stopped by the door and waved goodbye He stopped by the door and sang a song He hugged the bus driver He shook everyone’s hand

Q48. Who did Rat feel like on the tree looking at the promised land? Moses Noah Abraham Jesus

Q49. How did Rat know the man was no danger? He was dressed poor like them He had no shoes on His voice was calm He was smiling

Q50. What did Olivia learn that she could not have learned at university? That survival is more important than morals That sometimes it is right to lie That money corrupts people That the world revolves around money

Part 3 Chapters 9-10 Answers 46. B – They took a red bus 47. D – He shook everyone’s hand and they thought he was mad 48. A – He felt like Moses looking at the promised land 49. C – He knew he was no danger because his voice was calm 50. D – She learned that the world revolves around money

Comprehension Questions Part 4 Chapters 1-2

Q51. What change did Rat make to their home? He loosened part of the roof He put on a door He found bed mats He paid for blankets

Q52. Which night was approaching at the end of the month? Halloween Christmas Eve All Soul’s Night Thanksgiving

Q53. Where did Father Julliard write the combination? On his desk Under the telephone On a page in the Bible In his diary

Q54. Where does Gardo keep his hook? In his jeans at the back Up his right sleeve At the back of his shirt hooked in the collar In the pocket of his shorts

Q55. What does he do with the Bible after hearing shots? He stashes it under a nearby bench He gives it to Rat He gives it to Raphael He puts it in the trash

Part 3 Chapters 1-2 Answers 51. A – He loosened part of the roof for quick escape 52. C – All Soul’s Night or the Day of the Dead 53. D – Fr Julliard writes the combination in his diary 54. A – He keeps his hook on the inside of his jeans at the back 55. B – He gives the Bible to Rat.

Comprehension Questions Part 4 Chapters 3-5

Q56. Which Gospel was “It is finished” in? Mark Matthew Luke John

Q57. What is the name of the rubbish town? He reversed the numbers He read right to left He found the passage at the end of the book He found a bottle of rum

Q58. What tipped Rat off to the police? A heavy footstep on the ladder Someone calling out to Gardo Sounds of pots and pans Police sirens

Q59. What did ‘where we lay’ mean? Where our bedrooms were Where they used to go sun bathing Where we are buried Where the hospital is

Q60. Why did the police man not shoot at them? He felt sorry for them He fell off the ladder He was attacked by a dog He was still holding onto the ladder and could not get aim

Part 4 Chapters 3-5 Answers 56. D – Gospel of St John 57. B – He read right to left and got “Go to…” 58. A – he was tipped off by a heavy footstep on the ladder 59. C – Where they were buried 60. D – He was holding the ladder, whistle and couldn’t aim

Comprehension Questions Part 4 Chapters 6-7

Q61. What was the smartest thing Rat ever did? He lead them to an abandoned warehouse He figured out what the 6 and 9 meant He got them to dive in amongst the children He had them hide in the reeds of the river

Q62. What ‘saved them’? The police cars crashed into each other All the children ran out at once All the children swarmed over the police cars The children attacked the police officers

Q63. Who is the man who makes the memorials? Gus Fredericks Gulliard Fernandez Fernandez Gonzalez Frederico Gonz

Q64. What did he write on Pia’s memorial stone? “The veil of the temple has been rent” “Beloved daughter, forever in our hearts” “Seeds to harvest, my child” “The seed corn has been planted”

Q65. What did the men with the coffin look like? Street sweepers Dumpsite boys Criminals Beggars

Part 4 Chapters 6-7 Answers 61. C – He made them dive among the children 62. B – all the children running out at once saved them 63. D – Frederico Gonz makes the grave memorials 64. C – seeds to harvest, my child 65. A – the two men looked like street sweepers

Comprehension Questions Articles

Q66. What did the Senator train to be? A doctor A politician A lawyer An economist

Q67. What did the Senator clear the squatter camps? A cinema / shopping complex A new school His flash home A statue in his image

Q68. Mohun’s diary suggested he was keeping the money in case of what? In case there is a political coup In case the banks go bust In case the ATM’s are down In case he ends up in hospital

Q69. Who is the president of the student union? Chartal Andiz Cheruvi Adarme Jose Regis Regis Zenita

Q70. What was the Senator’s campaign slogan? The brightest smile, the sharpest mind The brightest future for the sharpest minds A bright future for all No child left behind

Articles Answers 66. C – Zepanta was originally a lawyer 67. A – he cleared the squatter camps for a cinema/shopping complex 68. C – in case the ATM’s are down 69. B – Charuvi Adarme is the president of the student union 70. A – the brightest smile, the sharpest mind

Comprehension Questions Part 5 Chapters 1-3

Q71. How had they wasted the day? The had tried to find the numbers on the graves They had tried to listen to people in case they heard the name “Angelico” They had paid the guard who had given them the wrong directions They had been in the rich half, not the one where the poor were buried

Q72. What did ‘the brightest light’ mean? The light on top of the wall that separated the two halves Where thousands of candles come together The light from all the bonfires lit by the graves The way the setting sun shone on the marble graves

Q73. What did his Auntie always say? There is always someone who will help There is always time to pay your respects There is no one you can trust completely There is nowhere people will not live

Q74. How did Gardo figure out where to look? He bought a candle and shone it on the stones He found the numbers on the backs of the stones He asked the children that lived there He found a sign that showed where they were

Q75. Where does Pia live now? In the graveyard In the building with all the children In the home of one of the other house servants In the home of one of her mother’s cousins

Part 5 Chapters 1-3 Answers 71. D – They were in the rich half of the cemetery 72. B – thousands of candles coming together. The brightest light. 73. D – there is nowhere people will not live 74. C – He asked the children that lived there 75. A – she lives in the graveyard now

Comprehension Questions Part 5 Chapters 4-6

Q76. Why did they need to be brave? They had to take Pia back to her school and the police could be there They would have to go back to their room that the police had raided They would have to go among the graves on All Soul’s night They needed to go back to Behala

Q77. Who writes Chapter 5? Raphael Pia Father Julliard Jun

Q78. What do they buy from the trash boys? A shirt for Gardo A blanket for Pia A suitcase for the money A cart to carry the money

Q79. What was Rat’s next brilliant idea? To split the money up in bags so it would be found by lots of people To dress in the mission school uniforms To put all the money in Father Julliard’s safe To hide the money on the conveyor belts

Q80. Why did Raphael and Gardo linger before leaving? They regretted giving away all the money They had people they wanted to say goodbye to They wanted to make sure their families found some of the money They saw their families in the distance

Part 5 Chapters 4-6 Answers 76. C – to go among the graves on All Soul’s night takes bravery 77. D – Jun – no longer Rat 78. D – they bought a cart to carry the money 79. B – to dress in the school uniforms 80. B – they had people they wanted to say goodbye to but knew they couldn’t

What would you have done with the money? Try to imagine that you have lived a life similar to that of Rat, Raphael and Gardo. Write down what you would have done and why.